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Athlete of the Week: Young forward leads veteran Bearcats

January 08, 2013, 05:00 AM Julio Lara, Daily Journal Staff

When it comes to handling attention from the media, San Mateo High School's Alejandro Mendoza is still getting used to things.

When asked what his goals were for the upcoming soccer season, the young man who sports No. 19 on the pitch responded very matter-of-factly, "score more goals than last year.” And then he flashed a smile.

When you're a young, budding star, it can be that simple.

And so it appears that, until the sophomore gets used to having a voice recorder in his face, Mendoza will be more than happy allowing his feet and head to all the talking we need.

And that's fine by us.

Mendoza was at his sharpest last week in San Mateo's win over Aragon High School. In that game, No. 19 scored every way imaginable and led the Bearcats to a 4-1 victory with a hat trick.

For his efforts, Mendoza is the San Mateo Daily Journal Athlete of the Week.

"He came up past the second half of last season,” said San Mateo head coach Chuck Callaghan. "He was a freshman. I thought he could help us on the wing and he did.

"He's got a great finishing touch. He got a game ball, if we actually gave one out, last week. And he would have got it this week, too, with his three goals. He's playing really well.”

He's not only playing well but at an atypical pace for players Mendoza's age. In many ways, No 19 is blessed with the ability to slow the game down around the goal, hence, chaotic situations when others might send off a wild, inaccurate shot toward the net actually turned into quality chances for Mendoza